1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to lighting reflectors, and more particularly, to reflectors for use with cold cathode lamps.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cold cathode tubes have somewhat smaller diameters than conventional fluorescent tubes whose connectors are pairs of pins located each end of elongated cylindrical tube structures. In the cold cathode type tube the electrical connections comprise tubular extensions extending at right angles to the main tube body and located at each end of the light tube as shown, for example, in FIG. 1 herein. Prior art reflectors for both the typical tubes and for the cold cathode tubes usually comprise white surfaces. For example, in the larger florescent tube fixtures, the tubes are generally placed within a housing comprising a white painted cavity. This has been considered acceptable for these types of tubes.
As a carryover of these painted reflectors, the smaller cold cathode tubes also use white reflectors. The reflectors, in one implementation, comprise a snap fitted thermoplastic extruded member forming a partial enclosure about the tube along its length. These reflectors have been in use for many years. However, the earlier versions were made of styrene plastic material which during aging tended to discolor turning yellow as well as becoming brittle and fracturing easily. In more recent years, these snap fit reflectors have been made from ABS plastic. This is a white color thermoplastic material extruded into long lengths and cut to the desired lengths for a given application.
It has been discovered that because the cold cathode tubes are generally encased in the reflector structure around virtually the entire circumference (about 340 degrees), a significant amount of light may be lost due to the reflector material being used. These tubes, being smaller in diameter than the pin type tubes, are more generally limited in the amount of light radiated. Therefore, in these latter tubes, there is a need for more efficient light emission which has not heretofore been met by the prior art.